Alternative Wine Packaging For a Sustainable Future
So what are the alternatives to glass bottles for wine packaging, and why should we care?
Let’s look at why the glass bottle has been the preferred method to store wine. The use of glass for wine can be dated back to the 17th century. With advances in glass making, eventually a point was reached where the glass was sturdy enough to transport wine in the bottle, and it has pretty much stayed this way. Consumers perceive wine in glass bottles to be more expensive compared to the alternatives.
The main component of a glass bottle is silicon dioxide, which is both cheap and readily available. Glass is a great material to recycle, as it does not degrade with repetitive use. The glass pieces that are used to make new products are called cullet, and the use of cullet when making new bottles saves large amounts of energy. Glass is one of the most recycled products, therefore its place within the wine industry is sound. Universally, if the switch could be made to lighter weight glass bottles where appropriate, we could drastically cut down on CO2 emissions!
The alternatives to glass..
Canned Wine
The first “wine can” can be dated back to 1996, produced by an Australian company, Barokes Wines. The Francis Ford Coppola Winery was one of the first in North America to can wine back In 2002.
The can is a great option for packaging wine as there are many benefits. They are incredibly lightweight compared with glass, and take up a lot less space when packed. This means that when they are transported, much less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are released. Aluminium is easily and commonly recycled, and like glass, it can be repeatedly used.
Cans are a great option as a single serve of wine. If you don’t want to open a bottle of wine, or you just want one glass, then canned wine is the way to go. It is also a great way to reduce your wine consumption. The portability of the can is a great feature, you can literally take it anywhere with you, the beach, camping and picnics, and the fact that they are so small means they chill down super fast!
Canned wine has suffered from a bad reputation. One of the main issue’s has been “reduction” (the smell of rotten eggs). This is caused by high levels of SO2 and copper in the wine, which produce hydrogen sulfide. As a lot of low quality wine has been used for canned wine, either excess from harvest or bulk wine, these tend to contain high levels of both of these components. This will greatly shorten the lifespan of the wine, and high levels of sulfur will also cause degradation of the can lining. This means that by the time the wine gets to the consumer, it’s probably not in great shape, further damaging its reputation.
Canned wine needs to be specifically made for the canning process in mind, well made wines, with low levels of copper and SO2. Another factor to take into consideration is the level of acidity in the wine, high levels will erode the can lining. The higher acidity the wine has, the thicker the lining needs to be.
Canned wine has really taken hold in the past few years for good reason. There is a huge opportunity for more premium wine to be put in cans as the market sector grows. As a product, the positives for canned wine far outweigh the negatives, and it’s popularity is only going to continue to grow.
Wine in Kegs
For large volumes of wine, kegs are a great option. Not only does it reduce the need for a lot of packaging, it is great for storing the wine as the kegs are airtight, so wine will not oxidise. Wine in kegs stays really cool, so this option would be useful for large events and festivals, and would also reduce waste.
Kegs have a lifespan of up to 35 years, so if properly cleaned and maintained, companies that own their own kegs can greatly reduce their costs. Kegs are predominantly made from stainless steel or plastic and can themselves be recycled.
The main pitfall of using kegs in the wine industry is that there is no widely used infrastructure set up to deal specifically with kegs, with transportation being the biggest issue.
However, there are now companies such as Freeflow Wine in the US that are changing the game for canned and kegged wine. Their services include keg leasing, filling, logistics and canning. Using these alternative packaging options would help move us towards a more sustainable wine future.
Bag in Box
One of my favourite types of packaging for wine, bag in box (bib) and pouches. The bib was first patented in 1965 by Thomas Angrove of Angrove Family Winemakers in McLaren Vale South Australia. Having grown up in Australia, bib is part of our wine culture, and that’s probably why I have an affection for this type of wine packaging.
The benefits it can offer in regards to sustainable wine packaging is that the bag in box is extremely carbon efficient to produce, just a fraction of the GHG emissions compared with glass or plastic. Packaging to wine ratio is greatly reduced, meaning there is no wasted space. More wine with less packaging, equals better profit margins, and the final weight of the product is a lot less than glass. The common packaging size for wine in glass is 750ml, but only 40% volume of the final product is wine, not exactly the most efficient way to package wine.
Another great benefit to bag in box is that the packaging is airtight, so there is little risk of oxidation. You can pour yourself just one glass and not have to worry about the wine going bad. Being able to purchase wine in this larger format will actually save the consumer money as the price per serve is greatly reduced. This could also be a great option for restaurants ‘by the glass’ pours for all of the same reasons. All the components of the bib can be recycled. In Canada wine pouches can be returned to your local bottle depot for a refund just like your wine bottles!
Here are a few notes on other parts of wine packaging..
Foil Capsules.
The bit of tin foil around the cork and neck of the bottle usually either gets thrown into the trash or left on the bottle, where it can interfere with the recycling process. It once served a purpose, but today is used only for aesthetic reasons, therefore is unnecessary.
Screw Caps Vs. Corks.
Screw caps are too small and light to be properly sorted at a recycling plant and often end up contaminating other recyclables.
There are various types of cork that can be used, including natural or synthetic. In this context we are talking about the production of cork and its effect on the environment. Natural cork is a renewable resource using the bark from the Montado tree in Portugal. These trees come from carefully managed forests, where a single tree is harvested only once every nine years, the time it takes for the bark to grow back.
Labels and Boxes
Labels for wine bottles come on large rolls of plastic. Therefore to reduce the amount of plastic used, wineries could look at using just one label instead of the usual two. This will cut the use of plastic down by half. This is of course only where regulation will allow. The use of recycled paper for the actual labels could also be a great alternative to help reduce the environmental impact.
A self sealing box not requiring any tape would greatly reduce the use of plastics, another option being the use of paper tape.
Boxes with no print on them can easily be reused or recycled, and use less energy and resources to produce.
Plastic Wrap
Plastic wrap is heavily used in both the food and beverage industry. In regards to wine, large amounts of plastic wrap are used to keep pallets of wine in place for shipping. There is an Australian company, Great Wrap that has produced the world’s first certified, fully compostable plastic wrap. Although it is currently only available in Australia, they are working on bringing manufacturing to North America and Europe.
The main problem that arises with alternative wine packaging is consumer perception. For a long time, bag in box wine and canned wine have generally been of low quality or bulk wine. Today however this is changing. There are now many companies producing quality wine in these alternative packaging options. The more this happens, the more widely accepted it will become. There are some instances that glass bottles are going to be the only option, such as for Champagne and some sparkling wines, as well as wine intended for long term aging.
However, the majority of wine produced today is intended for youthful consumption. This is where these alternative wine packaging options could be used for a more sustainable wine future.
